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Migratory Birds at Risk from Gulf Coast Oil Spill
Piping Plover walking on beach. Photo USFWS
Could migratory birds from the Midwestern United States potentially be impacted by the oil spill? Which species are most vulnerable?Yes. Waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds from the Midwest that winter in the Gulf coast could potentially be impacted by the oil spill. Birds that nest, breed, feed and roost in coastal wetlands are most at risk to be impacted by oil. Landbirds are not likely to be significantly impacted. Birds that winter in northern Gulf coast marshes are especially vulnerable, along with diving ducks which spend much of their time in open water. Marsh birds include Yellow-rumped Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat and Nelson’s Sparrow. Although the first three species are common and widespread and unlikely to be significantly affected by the spill, Nelson’s Sparrow is an uncommon northern Great Plains bird which concentrates in winter in Gulf coast marshes. Black Rail, which has a small Midwest population, is one of the few bird species that breed in salt and freshwater marshes, both on the coast and inland in Texas, Mississippi and Florida. Common Loon is a waterbird found throughout the Great Lakes region. Thousands of adult loons travel to their winter home along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from late summer through December. Many head to the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and the Florida panhandle. Some first-year loons do summer along the Gulf of Mexico and may be impacted by the oil spill. Loons dive up to 25 feet below water to fish for food and are therefore vulnerable to both deep water and surface oil. More than twenty species of shorebirds that breed in the Midwest or Arctic and migrate through the Midwest also migrate through or winter along the upper Gulf coast. Examples of shorebirds that could be impacted include Marbled Godwit, Short-billed Dowitcher and Red Knot. Small numbers of Marbled Godwits winter in the Chandeleur Islands and along Florida’s southwestern coast. Larger numbers winter in coastal marshes and on tidal flats in Texas and southwest Louisiana. Short-billed Dowitchers breed in Canada and Alaska, and significant numbers winter in coastal wetlands of Louisiana and Texas. During mild winters several hundred Red Knots may winter in the Grand Terre/ Grand Isle regions and in the Chandeleur Islands. These birds move the Great Lakes on their journey southward from Arctic breeding grounds. Millions of waterfowl and thousands of shorebirds breed in the prairie pothole region during the summer months, and migrate to fresh and brackish coastal marshes for the winter. Many stop-over in the Gulf en route to wintering grounds in Mexico and Central/South America, while some remain in the Gulf. General indication from mid-winter waterfowls surveys suggest that Redheads commonly winter in both salt and brackish waters off Breton Island National Wildlife Refuge/ Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana, and Laguna Madre in south Texas. They raft in shallow waters and feed on mollusks near shore. Lesser Scaup from the Midwest migrate south from late October through December, many of which winter in Breton Island NWRand Lake Ponchartrain, La. Most Blue-winged Teal winter in Central and South America, although a few thousand winter in Louisiana. Mallards and Gadwalls head to Mexico, however, the bulk of these birds stop in Texas and Louisiana freshwater marshes. Many other waterfowl and waterbird species including Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser and Horned Grebe winter in salt marsh inlets, coastal bays and freshwater of the Gulf coast.
How many birds migrate to the Gulf Coast? Where do they come from?Millions of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds from the Midwest utilize the Gulf coast at some point in their life history. Birds migrating along the Central Flyway originate from the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Birds migrating along the Mississippi Flyway originate from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Some spend the winter in the Southeastern U.S. while others continue southward to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central or South America. How does oil affect birds?Oiled birds can lose the ability to fly, dive for food or float on the water which could lead to drowning. Oil interferes with the water repellency of feathers and can cause hypothermia in the right conditions. As birds groom themselves, they can ingest and inhale the oil on their bodies. While ingestion can kill animals immediately, more often it results in lung, liver, and kidney damage which can lead to death. Oil also has the potential to impact birds of prey when they consume oiled food sources. Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, and eagles all have the potential to be impacted by preying on oiled wildlife. How is the Fish and Wildlife Service involved in responding to the oil spill impact on migratory birds?The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently working as part of the National Incident Management Structure to protect and rescue wildlife resources, including recovery of both live and dead birds impacted by oil along the Gulf coast. To prepare for migration influx, wildlife operations are expanding resources and capabilities to accommodate the anticipated increase in oiled wildlife. Bird rehabilitation centers are expanding to accommodate incoming birds, and additional staff and resources will aid in the rescue and recovery effort led by the Service for oiled birds in coastal bays and freshwater marshes. Based on the current distribution and impacts of oil along the Gulf’s marshes and coastline and the millions of waterfowl and shorebirds that are beginning to migrate through or will spend the winter in this area, Service biologists are working to restore and bolster wetland habitats and food sources in nearby, uncontaminated areas in Louisiana, the Chenier Plain of east Texas, and the lower portion of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. These efforts are designed to restore and protect habitat for resident species along the Gulf Coast, as well as to address concerns about the coming fall migration of some 5 million waterfowl and other migratory birds that will arrive in or pass through the Gulf Coast region throughout the fall and winter months. By quickly initiating these habitat conservation projects, the Service and its partners hope to minimize the chance that migrating or wintering birds will come into contact with contaminated coastal habitats. Also, because food resources for migrating birds have been reduced, degraded or lost due to the oil spill, the Service and its partners’ efforts will help ensure the availability of adequate food to compensate for these losses. Leading the development and implementation of migratory bird habitat restoration projects along the Gulf Coast are the Service’s Joint Ventures -- collaborative, regionally based, public-private partnerships that work to conserve bird habitat within specific geographic regions. Joint Venture scientists are providing the strategic underpinnings for habitat restoration efforts, bringing together conservation partners and marshalling resources to address spill impacts to wildlife in the short and long term. The Service’s habitat restoration efforts will also support the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative, an effort launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to work with farmers, ranchers and other landowners to manage portions of their land to enhance habitat for migrating birds in portions of eight states. Through two components – one available on private agricultural lands and the second on Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) easement lands -- NRCS will work in cooperation with private landowners and other partners to establish habitat and food sources as well as improve the overall habitat management on participating lands. More information about the NRCS Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative is at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/nrcs_migratory_birds.html. The Fish and Wildlife Service along with its state, tribal and federal partners are “trustees” for the resources damaged by the oil spill. Trustees seek to identify the natural resources injured and determine the extent of the injuries, recover damages from those responsible, and plan and carry out natural resource restoration activities. These efforts are possible under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program, the goal of which is to restore natural resources injured by contamination. The Service also plays a role in long-term coordinated bird monitoring efforts to determine bird movements, behaviors, and gather statistical data on mortality rates. Waterfowl Population Surveys allow the Service to identify baseline waterfowl population statistics by surveying North America’s waterfowl breeding grounds. To see the latest full report on waterfowl populations, click here: 2010 Waterfowl Breeding Population Estimates. Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data also provides an index of population abundance that is used to estimate population trends and relative abundances of shorebirds and waterbirds at various geographic scales. However, some geese and ducks are not adequately monitored during the spring and summer because they nest in areas not well covered by breeding population surveys. Abundance indices for these species are obtained from surveys on wintering areas, or Mid-Winter Waterfowl Surveys. These surveys will target specific species and populations in the Gulf coast this winter and will provide information on population trends for some species, distribution on the wintering grounds, and habitat use. The Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey is conducted cooperatively by the states and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Midwest Coordinated Bird Monitoring Partnership is a regional network led by the Service that is working to combine and share bird monitoring data generated by surveys like these in the Midwest to provide a holistic understanding of species movements, behaviors and concentrations near and along the Gulf coast. How will the oil spill affect waterfowl hunting season?Current information we have suggests that regulatory restrictions on waterfowl hunting are unnecessary; however, we remain very concerned about both the short and long-term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill on migratory birds, their habitats, and the resources on which the birds depend. From a harvest-management perspective, the Service intends to respond to the ongoing oil spill as it would any other non-hunting factor with the potential for substantial effects on mortality or reproduction – such as hurricanes, disease outbreaks or drought – by monitoring abundance and vital rates of waterfowl and other migratory game birds, and adjusting harvest regulations as needed on the basis of existing harvest strategies. Working with conservation partners, the Service is also preparing to implement a range of on-the-ground habitat conservation and management measures near the oil-impact area in the Gulf designed to minimize the entrance of oil into managed habitats along the Gulf and to enhance the availability of migratory bird food resources outside the oil impact area. Recently obtained results of annual spring waterfowl population surveys indicate that population sizes of most duck species and breeding habitat conditions are good this year. For more information on potential impact to hunting regulations: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=239 How can I help?A new Federal Duck Stamp product – the Gulf of Mexico Wetland Commemorative Silk Cachet – is now available for purchase to help raise money for the restoration of Gulf Coast wetlands impacted by the Deepwater Horizon MC 252 Oil Spill. The funds raised will be used to enhance and provide alternative habitats for migrating birds outside of the oil spill affected areas. To show your support for our efforts in the Gulf coast, consider purchasing a Gulf of Mexico Wetland Commemorative Silk Cachet. The Gulf of Mexico Wetland Commemorative Silk Cachet, along with the Federal Duck Stamp, Junior Duck Stamp, and related products, can be purchased online at www.duckstamp.com. Maps of Breeding / Wintering Grounds of Selected Migratory Birds
Duck Band RecoveryIllinois Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Illinois
Indiana Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Indiana
Iowa Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Iowa
Michigan Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Michigan
Minnesota Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Minnesota
Missouri Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Missouri
Ohio Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Ohio
Wisconsin Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Wisconsin
Midwest Region Duck Band Recovery from Gulf Oil Spill Area 2000 - 2010
Area of Concern for Wintering Ducks Banded in Midwest Region
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Last updated:
August 16, 2010
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